Hat pinch form



Sept. 8, 1953 s, SHENKMAN 2,651,045

HAT PINCH FORM Original Filed Jan. 29. 1948 4 SlD/VEY SHENKMWV INVENTOR.

ATTWV/VEY Patented Sept. 8, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 5,099, January 29,

This application March 12, 1953, Serial No. 341,859

.2 Claims.

The present invention relates to a hat pinch form and refers more particularly to a form for placing inside the sweat band of a mans fedora hat.

An object of the present invention is the provision of means to aid in the creasing of a mans fedora hat in the most becoming shape.

Another object is that the hat shall retain in use the shape originally imparted to it.

Still another object is the prevention of excessively sharp creasing at the top front portion of the hat and the consequent formation of a hole at the point of joinder at the front central crease and the two converging top creases.

In accomplishing the objects of the present invention there is provided a generally rectangular sheet of material such as cardboard, Celluloid, or the like having two adjacent, substantially square corners, the other two corner portions being relieved along the sides and end to form two ears extending angularly from the median longitudinal line of the form. The form is inserted between the hat body and the sweat band with the square corners in lowermost position, the ears extending well into the crown of the hat. When the hat is creased from both sides and top as is usual with fedoras, a graceful and fashionable form is imparted, which is maintained rather than destroyed by picking the hat up by its top front central portion, as so many men do.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the constructions hereinafter described. In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one of the various possible illustrative embodiments of this invention:

Figure l is a plan view of my hat pinch form in flat condition.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the form in operative position in a fedora hat, the latter being shown in dotted lines.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view looking into a hat, and showing the form in operative relation thereto.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, my improved hat pinch form I is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 in flat condition, and is constituted of a substantially fiat sheet of comparatively stiff, cylindrically bendable material such as cardboard, Celluloid, or the like. The sheet I0 is of substantially rectangular shape, having a straight bottom boundary IDA and two adjacent substantially square corners II, I2 and having its other corner portions relieved by concavely curved lines along the side boundaries of the sheet as at I3, I4, and further being relieved by a concavely curved line along the upper boundary portion extending between the upper corners, as at I5. By reason of being relieved as at I3, I 4, and I5, the sheet I0 is constituted with the reduced portion I6 lying equally on either side of the central longitudinal line of sheet I0. By reason of the cutouts or recesses I3, I4, I5, the sheet I0 is further constituted with the free standing ears II, I8 located in the corner portions opposite the square corners I I, I2 each extending at an angle of approximately degrees to the median longitudinal line of sheet II]. The form I0 is further constituted as a sheet having an unrelieved lower portion constituting a major portion of its height, the recesses I3, I4, I5 all extending within the upper portion which constitutes less than half the height of the sheet.

My improved hat pinch form is shown in Figures 3 and 4 in operative relationship to a conventional mans fedora hat, 20. As best shown in Figure 4, the form I0 is placed inside the sweat band 2| of the hat, the bottom boundary IOA and square corners II, I2 being in lowermost position and substantially in contact with and supported by the means, such as stitches, fastening the sweat band to the hat body. The form I0 is located front centrally in the hat 20, as best shown in Figure 3. A top central depression 22 in the crown of the hat and side depressions 23, 24, are then imparted to the hat to give it its conventional shape, including the ridges 25, 26 between the depressions. The front boundaries of the depressions 23, 24 are defined by the cutouts I3, I4 of shape I0, and the front boundary of the top depression 22 is similarly defined by the cutout I5. The ears I1, I8 are caused to bend backward by the above described shaping or pinching process, and to extend for a substantial distance inside the ridges 25, 26, preserving a minimum width in the ridges and preventing sharp creasing of the hat along said ridges. Said creasing is a cause of rapid deterioration of hats as presently worn.

It is evident that in placing the form I0 between the hat body and the sweat band, it has been caused to assume a parti-cylindrical shape as clearly indicated by Figure 3 which shows the outside parti-cylindrical contour thereof and Figure 4, showing the inside parti-cylindrical contour. The ears II, I8 after the hat has been creased as shown in Figures 3 and 4, extend not only upwardly from the parti-cylindrical body of the form but also inwardly of the plane of the parti-cylinder. The ears l1, 18 are further cylindrically bent downwardly from their previous vertical position as a result of contact with the inner surface of the top of the hat body against which they exert upward pressure.

The term cylindrically bent or warped as used herein refers tothe property of a comparatively stiff sheet material such as cardboard or celluloid to permit bending in a plane which must include straight lines, so as to exclude the assumption of any spherical or similar shape. Thus the lower portion of form ID as viewed in the figures is warped in such a manner that the straight lines are substantially vertical, as shown by the shading of Figures 3 and 4, while the ears [1, I8 are also bent, but the straight lines in their, plane of curvature are substantially horizontal, also as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4.

While it is contemplated that the preferred form of the invention will be constituted by a flat and cylindrically bendable sheet of material, it is of course obviousthat a form could be made of rigid construction and of the shape shown in Figures 3 and 4.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use. As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiments above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

LA hat pinch form for a mans fedora hat, comprising a substantially flat and comparatively stilt sheetv of cylindrically deformable material, said sheet. comprising a substantially straight bottom boundary, a top boundary and side boundaries, said top and side boundaries each being relieved by a concavely curved line so as to form three recesses in the sheet, said recesses further defining two relatively narrow and free standing flexible ears extending on either side of the recess of said top boundary, said sheet in use being inserted inside the sweatband of the hat with said bottom boundary.- substantially in contact with and supported by'the meansfastening said sweatband in said hat, and said ears in use contacting the under surface of the top portion of the hat body and exerting upward pressure thereagainst, said ears further being Warped by said pressure along substantially horizontally extending straight lines, said ears further being efiective to maintain a minimum width in ridges of said hat extending between the top depression of the hat body and side depressions of said hat body, said recesses; further extending entirely within an upper portion of said sheet constituting less than one half of the height of said, sheet and the lower portion of said sheet being unrelieved so as to constitute, a stiffener. imparting shape to the front central portion of the hat body.

2. In a hat pinch form according to claim 1, said side boundaries below said recesses being substantially straight and substantially perpendicular to said bottom boundary.

SIDNEY SHENKMAN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,262,852 Schleinkofer Apr. 16, 1918 2,178,860 Knibloe Nov. 7, 1939 2,426,339 Boemanns Aug. 26, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 108,169 Great Britain Aug. 2, 191'1 

